How to make goat cheese (chevre)

i recently made my first successful batch of goat cheese and thought i'd post a quick tutorial. Honestly, making Chevre is so easy you really don't need a tutorial.
There are a few things you do need however, and it's best to make sure you have them before starting your cheese.
You need 1 gallon of raw goats milk.
1 pkg of Chevre starter
a large stock pot big enough to hold a gallon of goats milk. Mine is a 12 quart.
a basic cooking thermometer
Cheesecloth
Colander

Place 1 gallon of goats milk in your pot and heat slowly to 86 degrees. This is just slightly warmer than room temperature. Once it reaches 86 degrees, remove from heat.

Sprinkle your starter mixture on top and let it rehydrate for 2 minutes. Now stir it in, and let it cool to 72 degrees (room temperature). Mix well and let culture at room temperature for 12-20 hours. i started my cheese in the evening and then put the lid on the pot and placed the entire thing inside my cold oven. This worked well, and helped it maintain it's heat even though it cooled down to around 50 degrees outside that night.

In the morning, after it had set for 12 hours it looked like this! The cheese is at the bottom on the pan, and has the consistency of yogurt.
i didn't take a picture of the next step, but you just need to line a colandier with cheese cloth and place it over another large bowl/pot. Pour the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander and let them drain a bit.

Then tie up the ends of the cheese cloth and hang the bag and let drain 6-8 hours.

After 6-8 hours you have cheese!

i pressed mine into homemade cheese molds. These are just clean recycled yogurt containers with a few holes poked through them to let any remaining whey drain out.

Here's the finished product. i intended to get a prettier picture, with some crackers next to it or on a bed of fresh picked greens...but it didn't happen. Every time i got it set up on a plate we ate it. :) The chevre' should be stored wrapped tightly in plastic. It's good around 10 days and can be frozen for several months.
It's good spread on crackers, in spinach pies, topping pizzas, salads and bruchetta. It's very similar to feta and can be used in a similar way.
The leftover whey (all the stuff left after you drain your cheese) makes a nice treat for pets, although if you give them too much be prepared to clean up a mess. lol. You can also use it in bread recipes in place of water, or as a soup base. It is full of nutrients, can be added to smoothies, used to water plants etc.
i have always wanted to try making cheese, and the cheese is absolutely delicious!!